Mastery vs Performance Goals: Why the Type of Goal You Set Matters
Everyone sets goals. But, what most people don’t realize is that the type of goals you set can have a major impact on your long term performance. The most basic type of goal is known as a performance goal. These are goals that are directly correlated to an outcome. You want to get an “A” [...]
Why The Future Will Be Built Around Exclusivity, Inconvenience, and Paid Content
In relation to my recent post, When Being Difficult Has Its Benefits, and in response to this interview with MetaFilter founder Matt Haughey (hat tip Noah Brier), I’d like to make the case that the future success of communities and content producers depends on raising the barriers to entry, not lowering them as many businesses have tried to [...]
Magical Realism: The Foundation for Effective Brand Promises
Successful marketing today doesn’t sell features; it sells benefits. This product will save you time. This product will save you money. This product is important for your identity. But successfully selling benefits requires more than cut-and-dry statements. Selling benefits involves making a magical promise (and then fulfilling it). A great example of a brand that [...]
The Role of Company Culture in Innovation
There are two types of organizations. Those that seek to constantly innovate, and those that seek to exploit their existing assets. Neither organization is better than the other. In fact, as organizations develop and age, their ways/methods naturally become more set in stone. They start following algorithms, instead of innovating. As a result they become [...]
Negative Space Marketing: Stand Out By Dialing It Back
This is a blog post about negative space. But, it’s not about negative space as a design technique. It’s about the idea of negative space as a way to differentiate your marketing communications in an overly crowded marketplace. Every day we encounter hundreds of brands, all vying for our attention. Brands are shouting at us [...]